


By The Way I Tried To Say I'd Be There (waiting for you)

by LadyKnightOfHollyrose



Series: Hunger Games AU [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, KuroDai Bingo 2015, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-08 01:32:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4285602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKnightOfHollyrose/pseuds/LadyKnightOfHollyrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So,” Kuroo drawls as though he hadn’t been at the edge of his seat for the entirety of Karasuno’s reaping, “you must be District 12’s Sawamura Daichi.”</p>
<p>Sawamura turns his head; studies Kuroo in a way that is somehow intent and detached all at once.</p>
<p>“And you must be my stylist.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	By The Way I Tried To Say I'd Be There (waiting for you)

**Author's Note:**

> For KuroDai Bingo - Hunger Games AU

Sawamura Daichi.

Eyes flinty and defiant, Karasuno's tribute lays stock still on the plinth, corded muscles tense under the thin sheet barely keeping his modesty.

Watching the way a muscle twitches just below his jaw, Kuroo knows better than to mistake the wary alertness for glassy eyed resignation; media be damned, it's clear to Kuroo at least that there's something about Karasuno district's male tribute that shows him to be far from the boring boy painted by the Games' latest coverage.

His reaping alone proved that.

Kuroo remembers the way he had been unable to tear his eyes from the screen as Sawamura walked up to the stage, and placing himself beside the podium before any names could even be selected from the pool.

He'd been so casual, as though he'd merely been on an afternoon stroll and not sentencing himself to death. His gaze had been clear, features serene, and his unflinching  _steadiness_  had cut through the tension completely; smashed it to pieces.

If not for the high definition of the screens that the Capitol afforded them (and of course, Kuroo's keen eyes), he might have missed the slight tremble in Sawamura's clenched fist before the camera cut away to capture a cluster of distressed (and protesting) faces in the crowd.

Karasuno has never been a district known for career tributes. By rights, volunteers are practically unheard of.

Even as small – and perhaps stupid – as the act of defiance had been, Kuroo remembers feeling something within him stir.

Something that had told him that whatever Sawamura was planning, it was going to be _big._

Now that Kuroo can see him in person, he’s even surer. And one thing that he’s absolutely certain of is that he wants  _in_.

Sawamura’s face is completely unreadable now that he’s here, and Kuroo had expected something – not regret, he’s far too resolute for that – perhaps apprehension or open disgust.

Sawamura is steadfast; unblinking. He’s not going to make this easy on Kuroo, by any means.

Kuroo’s from the Capitol, is one of the enemy. He’s a cog in the machine that keeps the Games running, and for that, he’s probably already unforgivable in Sawamura’s book.

(Kuroo may also be guilty of antagonising those he finds most interesting, which in reality will probably make things even worse.)

Well. Kid’s got a lot to learn. And anyway, Kuroo has never been able to resist a challenge.

The door slides open, and Kuroo steps into the room. As he strides closer to the plinth, the tension is so thick that neither can draw a breath.

“So,” Kuroo drawls as though he hadn’t been at the edge of his seat for the entirety of Karasuno’s reaping, “you must be District 12’s Sawamura Daichi.”

Sawamura turns his head; studies Kuroo in a way that is somehow intent and detached all at once.

“And you must be my stylist.”

Kuroo bows with a flourish; his mannerisms are the most ostentatious thing about him (by Capitol standards). A muscle near Sawamura’s eye twitches slightly, but his expression betrays no curiosity (or even animosity).

“You must be fresh blood if you’ve been dumped with our district.” His tone is mild, as though he’s merely stating fact. But the set of his jaw is telling.

“Well, you’re not wrong,” Kuroo hums, the corner of his lips ticking up into a smirk as he deftly sidesteps the bait. “But then again, you’re not entirely right either.”

Sawamura’s brows furrow at that, and Kuroo can’t help but feel at least a little smug at finally cracking his carefully maintained façade.

Still, before he can be interrupted Kuroo presses forward. “Look, we can get into the whys and wherefores of me and _my_ motivations later. I’ll be happy to get into that argument with you at length after we’ve settled business. Because I can tell you’re not going to take the short answer.”

Sawamura’s brows rise a little in concession of the point, and Kuroo files the detail away; cataloguing it in the neat file in his mind that he’ll need to consult soon.

“Up you get, let’s get a look at you.”

Sawamura slides from the plinth, setting the thin cotton sheet aside as he stands. He doesn’t seem particularly body shy, though he does twitch away a little when Kuroo circles him.

Aesthetic appreciation can come later; for now, Kuroo surveys the body before him clinically, pulling a small notebook from a pocket to scribble a few notes.

He’s not sure how much time has passed when he hears Sawamura shift his weight, but Kuroo’s managed to fill three pages with his untidy scrawl and there’s a dusting of goose bumps raising the skin on Sawamura’s arm.

“Okay. There’s a robe on the side there, once you’ve got it on we can talk.”

Sawamura pulls it on in silence and follows him through to the adjacent room, sinking onto one of the plush chairs when Kuroo indicates that he take a seat. His eyes widen slightly as the table between himself and where Kuroo has settled splits open to make way for the plethora of food that rises from inside it.

Kuroo watches as he leans forward to pick a pastry, and then another as he starts to make his way through the small banquet laid out before him.

Kuroo can’t help the relief that courses through him at the sight – at least his tribute has the sense to know that he’s going to need keep him going instead of clinging to his disdain for the Capitol and everything to do with it.

Speaking of which.

“I won’t insult you by running through what you’re doing here. And I’m not going to pry into your motivations for it; I’m not here to gain your trust or to play nice.”

Sawamura pauses, hand halfway to his mouth with another morsel, eyes narrowed at Kuroo’s blunt approach. It’s in his nature to scheme, and Kuroo can’t exactly say that his suspicion is unfounded.

Because _yes_ , the curiosity that is Sawamura Daichi has been eating at him since he learned of his existence. But Kuroo knows how to play the long game – has been playing it all his life – and he also knows that he’s unlikely to learn anything from the tribute at this stage.

So he’ll wait.

“You mean you don’t think I’m here to ‘ _safeguard our future_ ’ or be ‘ _bathed in riches_ ’?” Sawamura asks flatly.

Kuroo smirks. “You don’t strike me as the type.” Then he shrugs. “Regardless, whatever it is that you’re planning, you won’t be able to do it without sponsors. And while your mentor can prep you for most things, you’re going to need to give him something to work with, which is where _I_ come in.”

“To pretty me up?”

“That’s part of it, though you’re plenty pretty already.” Kuroo snorts at the affronted glare that earns him. “Your escort and I will also be making your charming self more palatable to the Capitol’s tastes.”

Sawamura presses his lips together in a thin line, considering. Then he sighs. “So I guess the next step is the tribute parade. What were you thinking?”

“You don’t happen to be allergic to feathers, are you?”

The look of apprehensive horror Sawamura aims at him is enough to have him grinning for the rest of the afternoon.

**Author's Note:**

> This... is probably going to turn into a oneshot series now thanks to RevolutionJack (who helped with editing and got me entirely too invested in this fic), and because of a meme on tumblr I do have a few bits and bobs that I'll probably tidy up and post once I'm done with KuroDai bingo. So if you enjoyed this, then please look forward to seeing that from me in the near future ^^
> 
> Notes wise, I don't think anything I've got is relevant to this part so I'll leave them for the time being. Though I should probably mention that my main source of HG knowledge comes from the movies, and I've only read the first few chapters of the first book so if there are any glaring inaccuracies, please let me know (or put it down to creative licence XD)


End file.
